Petunia's Choice
by is-a-palindrome
Summary: November 2, 1981. Petunia is greeted by a surprise on her doorstep. Please read and review!


**Disclaimer:Not mine. **

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**Petunia's Choice**

Wednesday, November 2, 1981. The day I did what I thought I would never do. The day I abandoned my common sense and did the thoughtless. The day I took the squalling infant child of my much hated and dead sister into my home and house. _My_ own home, a place of perfect happy, blissful, _ordinary_ life.

Sometimes I think, _What was I thinking?_

After all the child _was_ Lily's, it was a _freak_, she was a _freak_-they were all _freaks_. But then, I know what I was thinking, after all I _was_ there, right?

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It was a normal Wednesday morning and I was going downstairs to make breakfast before waking up my adorable one-year-old son, Dudley. Everything was as usual. Vernon was upstairs taking his shower before breakfast, as usual. Dudley was still sleeping quietly, as usual. And I had decided to go get the morning paper for Vernon, as usual. Unfortunately, it was not going to be a usual day. 

As I walked down the hallway toward the door, I hummed tunelessly to myself and thought about how big Dudley was getting and how I should really go shopping and get him some new clothes and maybe a couple of new toys. _After all_, I thought to myself, _it's been two weeks since last time I shopped for my Dinky Duddydums_. I smiled slightly at the nickname; it fit my son so well. I reached out my hand to the doorknob, opened the door,…and nearly screamed my head off. Nearly. In retrospect it was a good thing I didn't, because it would have attracted the neighbor's attention to what was on the step.

There, lying on the step of my house was a baby. It was a small thing wrapped up in a blanket sleeping peacefully. It had a tuft of tousled coal black hair on its head and a weird scar on its forehead that looked sort of like lightning. The baby looked to be about one year old, the same age as Dudley. For a while I just stood there, looking at the baby. Then, it stirred and something fell out of its blanket. It was a letter. A letter with my name on it and Vernon's also. But somehow I knew this letter was mostly meant for me.

I picked up the letter and looked at it. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley" was written across its front in a tall, flowing hand and that was it, nothing to show where it came from on the outside. I turned it over and opened it. As soon as I took out the letter, I knew whom it was from or at least what sort of people it was from. It was written on a slightly battered piece of parchment. There was only one person who wrote to me on parchment. And then it dawned on me, for the first time since I opened up the door, _This couldn't be good_. So, right there, not wanting to but knowing I must, I sat down on the step, and began to read the letter.

_ Dear Petunia and Vernon..._ it began, what followed next was unbelievable and yet…I had to believe it. Proof was sitting right there next to me on my very own doorstep. It was a tale worthy of any storybook, horrifying, freakishly odd, completely unordinary, but true. I found myself rereading the letter and the final plea that, that…that_ wizard_, had made. I looked over at young Harry-for I knew now that Harry was indeed this strange child's name-and thought, _No_. _No I can't take him in, it will be too dangerous __and__ he's bound to be a freak just like __Her_.

Then Harry had to go and do the worst thing he could possibly do to me. He woke up. First he stirred and then he opened his eyes. They were green, the exact shade that Her eyes had been. The look he gave me was so pitiful…

_ So what if he's Her kid? He hasn't done anything wrong or weird_, my conscience said.

_ Yet._ The smart rational side of my head replied, _He hasn't done anything wrong __yet_

_ But if what Dumbledore said is true, then not taking him in will kill him_. My conscience replied, _You don't want to be a murderer, do you?_

_ If__ what Dumbledore said was true, then he can bloody well take Harry in himself!_ I shouted at my annoying conscience.

_ You read that letter, he's safest here._

_ No, I refuse!_

_ Murderer._

I looked at Harry again, he just stared back at me with wide innocent eyes. "Fine," I muttered to myself, "I'll take him in, but that doesn't mean I have to love him..."

"Verrrnooon!" I called into the house, "We have a big problem!"

I sighed, it was going to be a very long day.

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**A/N: So how did you like it? I know that Petunia's not quite in character and that the beginning is a little weird but just imagine this as the deeper side of Petunia that was lost when Lily went to Hogwarts. You might have noticed that I skipped out on actually writing Dumbledore's letter or having Petunia convince Vernon to let Harry stay, this is simply because I don't have enough skill to write Dumbledore in character or to imagine how Petunia convinced Vernon to keep Harry. Oh and wouldn't let me make indentations on any of the paragraphs for some reason so that's why there aren't any. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and please Review! (I need all the constructive criticism I can get).**


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